Diet
General Diet Info
Hay intro
Hay types new!
Vegetables
Pellets
Treats

Care
Bunny-Proofing
Housing
Grooming
Long-haired rabbits new!
Unwanted Litters: know the facts
Short distance traveling
Long distance traveling
Losing a loved one new!

Behaviour
Get to Know Your
Rabbit
Bonding
Bonding: Trios new!
Bonding Stories new!
Chewing/Digging
Litter Training
Types of litter
Spaying/Neutering
Toys

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Taken from newsletter of Fall 2001

Blissful Bonded Bunnies....or Not
Bonding Stories

Love at first sight - Sherry/Gina Rohekar:
Major Tom was an "only child" for about 6 months when we noticed he just wasn't as playful or perky as he used to be. On a trip to the mall we fell in love with a grey Mini-Rex, we hoped Tommy would too. We took the two buns into a neutral room for their first date. Both of them were more interested in exploring the room than each other! So we took them out into the main room of the apartment and crossed our fingers.

Well, they fell in love at first sight. They instantly were grooming each other and flopping next to each other. No marking of territory, no fighting - none of the things we were worried might happen. We even let them share a cage (we connected the two
cages) after only a couple of weeks -- they were dying to be together 24/7, and we
were convinced by the through-the-bars kissies they kept trying to give each other.

Two girls - by Louise Harrison:
When I first saw "The Girls" they were around 6-7 weeks old and I was praying they were both the same sex. The vet was pretty sure they were both female, but their hormones were raging and the dominance war continued.
It was making me very nervous. Poor Daisy had her head jumped on and butt bit so many times! The little Netherland Dwarf, Binky, was tormenting my big, goofy Mini-Rex - so separate cages and a little bit of peace and quiet were in order.

They went in for their spay at 6 months. I kept them in separate cages for a couple
of days after the spay and they've been best buddies ever since. Once in while one will jump on the other or chase, but I think they're just trying to break up the monotony of their day. There has never been an injury - the occasional little tuft of fur but nothing else. When I come home from work they're cuddled up on the same dining room chair either snoozing or grooming each other. It always amuses me that they share everything - even the same small precious piece of carrot - without fighting over it.

Two boys - Kelly Turner:
When I got Casper I was under the assumption that Bubbles was a girl. However, when I took Bubbles into get spayed, HE came back neutered. When we first started bonding all they wanted to do was mount one another. We started bonding in the bathroom and had daily car rides. The car rides helped A LOT. I was so excited when I saw the boys lay down together for the first time. I knew they were going to make it and be best buddies! It took about two to two and a half months to get them bonded.

Now, they do everything together...especially get into trouble. They groom each other constantly. I'm so happy that they love each other. They are brothers and best friends!

When the bond breaks - Shiri Joshua:
Zoe (AKA "The Queen") and Stuart were a bonded pair for 2 years. About two months after Stuarts death it seemed to me that Zoe might benefit from having a new partner again. So I found Armani.

When we got home I took all the precautions of introducing a new rabbit: took both him and Zoe to a new, neutral room in the house. They sniffed each other for a long time and even sounded a few growls (from the Queen), to which Armani seemed to be oblivious.

After the usual business of "who's the boss" all-day all-night mounting (turns out Armani was), there seemed to be a really good chemistry and a new couple formed. They would curl up together, lick and groom each other, play with each other until it was time for one to go to the vet. It was usually Zoe that had to go (and is stilll fighting numerous bacterial infections and eye discharge) and each time upon returning Armani would constantly growl at her and chase her. I guess the unfamiliar scent from the vet and technicians was the trigger. I even tried taking them both to the next visit but nothing seemed to help. I keep them separated now by providing a huge child-play area and taking turns for who's out and who's in.

I am saddened sometimes when I see one trying to get to the other by sneaking their
head through the cage for grooming, and in the case of Zoe, most times the request
for grooming ends up with a bite from her estranged husband!.

At Long Last...Maybe - by Sudarshan Deshmukh:
A few months after I adopted Shakti, I took her to meet Jeffy Batu at a pet show our group was attending. Jeffy Batu and Shakti really seemed to like each other and got along well at the show. I caged Shakti and Jeffy Batu side by side and I took all the necessary precautions, trying to bond them in neutral territory while keeping brooms, spray bottles and veggies on hand. Session after session they ignored each other. I took them for car rides and tried bonding them at the vet's: and they were not interested in each other.

Eventually, they did show interest - in fighting. Jeffy gashed Shakti's ear badly and I stopped trying to bond them for a while. I waited six months for them to give up their
grudge, and then made one final commitment to bonding. After several sessions in neutral territory (and a lot of spray bottle action!), Shakti finally began licking Jeffy Batu.

It's been a long process since then, but there is now mutual grooming, a strong friendship...and, well, a few minor 'tiffs' here and there! Eventually I hope to house them together but, at least for now, they can run around together happily for hours.

Possible defeat: - by Crystal Ford:
The first time Gilbert and Olivia met was at Olivia's foster home. All went really well there, a couple of sniffs and basically ignoring each other. Both rabbits were in a foreign environment which likely aided in the nice results. But I soon learned they were two dominant bunnies, which resulted in injuries during the second bonding session.

The fighting started almost immediately with Gilbert trying to mount and Olivia spinning in circles trying to reach Gilbert to mount him, until they were a tight ball of aggression. Olivia was the one who ended up injured. It appeared she had only torn her ear which didn't require much treatment.

She seemed fine until she stopped eating about 5 days later. It was then that I found a huge (the size of a twoonie) abscess on her abdomen, up near her top left mammary gland (she is a long-haired rabbit which made detecting the injury more difficult). I thought she was going to die. She eventually recovered over the next two and a half months.

Olivia was not spayed at the time of the failed bonding session. I knew there was risk involved in trying to bond when she was not spayed, but at the time I thought I would never be able to have Olivia spayed because of a heart condition (detected and misdiagnosed through xrays and two ultrasounds). She was just spayed a couple of weeks ago, and I still see a lot of dominant aggressive behaviour in her.

At this point in time I do not plan to try to bond them again. Olivia has already almost lost her life twice and she isn't even two years old yet. I don't want her to have to battle for her life anytime again soon, and certainly not because of my desire to have them bonded. I think that their lives are both enriched by having such close contact
with each other (through the pen wall) and that they are both happier bunnies despite not being able to live together.